Author: Civilian Reader

Quick Review: LAWLESS by Leah Litman (Atria/One Signal)

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An excellent guide to how the Supreme Court runs on conservative grievance, fringe theories, and bad vibes

Something is deeply rotten at the Supreme Court. How did we get here and what can we do about it? Crooked Media podcast host Leah Litman shines a light on the unabashed lawlessness embraced by conservative Supreme Court justices and shows us how to fight back.

With the gravitas of Joan Biskupic and the irreverence of Elie Mystal, Leah Litman brings her signature wit to the question of what’s gone wrong at One First Street. In Lawless, she argues that the Supreme Court is no longer practicing law; it’s running on vibes. By “vibes,” Litman means legal-ish claims that repackage the politics of conservative grievance and dress them up in robes. Major decisions adopt the language and posture of the law, while in fact displaying a commitment to protecting a single minority: the religious conservatives and Republican officials whose views are no longer shared by a majority of the country.

Dahlia Lithwick’s Lady Justice meets Rebecca Traister’s Good and Mad as Litman employs pop culture references and the latest decisions to deliver a funny, zeitgeisty, pulls-no-punches cri de coeur undergirded by impeccable scholarship. She gives us the tools we need to understand the law, the dynamics of courts, and the stakes of this current moment — even as she makes us chuckle on every page and emerge empowered to fight for a better future.

I’ve been a long-time fan of Strict Scrutiny, the podcast that Leah Litman co-hosts with Kate Shaw and Melissa Murray, so when Lawless was announced, it immediately went on my must-read list. I was lucky enough to get an advance DRC, and I dove right in. It’s a highly engaging and informative book, and one of the first must-reads of the year. Continue reading →

Excerpt: PAGANS by James Alistair Henry (Moonflower)

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Today, we have an excerpt from the recently-published Pagans, by James Alistair Henry. It certainly has an intriguing premise, as it is a crime/mystery novel set in an alternative 21st Century Britain where a number of key events never happened (including the arrival of Christianity, the Norman Conquest and the Industrial Revolution). My interest in the novel grew after I learned that the author had written for Smack the Pony and Green Wing. The novel is out now, published by Moonflower Books. Here’s the synopsis:

21st Century London.
The Norman conquest never happened.
The ancient tribes of Britain remain undefeated.
But murders still have to be solved.

The small, mostly unimportant, island of Britain is inhabited by an uneasy alliance of tribes – the dominant Saxon East, the beleaguered Celtic West, and an independent Nordic Scotland – and tensions are increasing by the second. Supermarket warpaint sales are at an all- time high, mead abuse shortens the lives of thousands, and social media is abuzz with conspiracy theories suggesting the High Table’s putting GPS trackers in the honeycakes.

Amid this febrile atmosphere, the capital is set to play host to the Unification Summit, which aims to join together the various tribes into one ‘united kingdom’. But when a Celtic diplomat is found brutally murdered, his body nailed to an ancient oak, the fragile peace is threatened. Captain Aedith Mercia, daughter of a powerful Saxon leader, must join forces with Celtic Tribal Detective Inspector Drustan to solve the murder – and stop political unrest spilling onto the streets.

But is this an isolated incident? Or are Aedith and Drustan facing a serial killer with a decades-old grudge? To find out, they must delve into their own murky pasts and tackle forces that go deeper than they ever could have imagined.

Set in a world that’s far from our own and yet captivatingly familiar, Pagans is “The Bridge” meets “Vikings”, exploring contemporary themes of religious conflict, nationalism, prejudice… and the delicate internal politics of the office coffee round. Gripping and darkly funny, Pagans keeps you guessing until the very end.

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Excerpt: THE VAMPIRE TAPESTRY by Suzy McKee Charnas (Tor)

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The latest novel getting the Tor Essentials treatment is The Vampire Tapestry by Suzy McKee Charnas. The novel was a Nebula Award finalist (1982), a Locus Award top-ten pick (1981), and has been described as a “masterpiece” by Guillermo del Toro — all of which are pretty good selling points. With an introduction by Nicola Griffith, it is due to be published mid-March. The publisher has provided CR with an excerpt to share with our readers; first, though, here’s the synopsis:

Edward Weyland is far from your average vampire: not only is he a respected anthropology professor but his condition is biological — rather than supernatural. He lives discrete lifetimes bounded by decades of hibernation and steals blood from labs rather than committing murder. Weyland is a monster who must form an uneasy empathy with his prey in order to survive, and The Vampire Tapestry is a story wholly unlike any you’ve heard before.

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Excerpt: WHITE LINE FEVER by KC Jones (Tor Nightfire)

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Next month, Tor Nightfire will publish White Line Fever by KC Jones, a “harrowing thrill ride about friendship, trauma, and learning how to take the wheel of your own life”. To whet readers’ appetites, the publisher has provided us with an excerpt to share! First, here’s the synopsis:

THEY’LL BREAK MORE THAN SPEED LIMITS ON THIS GIRLS’ TRIP FROM HELL.

At a passing glance, County Road 951 is an entirely unremarkable stretch of blacktop, a two-lane scar across the Cascade foothills of Central Oregon.

But the road is known by another name, coined by those who’ve had to clean up after all those scenic detours went horribly wrong: The Devil’s Driveway.

When Livia and her long-time friends take the Driveway as a shortcut to a much-needed weekend getaway, what begins as a morning joyride quickly becomes anything but. Soon, they’re driving for their lives, pursued by a horror beyond anything they ever imagined.

The Devil’s Driveway might be only 15 miles long, but with danger at every turn, it will take the four women to the very limits of their friendships and their sanity.

And there’s no telling what else lies in wait just beyond the bend.

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Excerpt: JULES, PENNY & THE ROOSTER by Daniel Pinkwater (Tachyon)

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In a couple of weeks, Tachyon Publications will release the latest book by Daniel Pinkwater: Jules, Penny & the Rooster. In his latest book, Pinkwater “brings his zany wit and wisdom to the magical adventures of a clever girl and her brave dog.” A novel “told with warmth and wit”, it is an “exploration of growing up, the power of family, and how sometimes the best things in life happen when you least expect them.” Fans of the author’s other Tachyon-published novels will no doubt find much to like in his latest. To whet readers’ appetite, the publisher has allowed CR to share an excerpt with you all. Here’s the synopsis:

Jules McShultz was promised a dog. Supposedly, she’d get one once her family moved from the city to the suburbs. But then her parents decided it still wasn’t the right time.

So Jules does what any intelligent girl would do. Instead of sulking, she enters an essay contest and wins first prize: A purebred Collie. And no one — not even Jules’s parents — can resist Penny, who is Jules’s perfect new canine pal.

Jules and Penny are ready to spend the summer exploring the woods by the house. But the woods are not at all what they seem to be. Magic and adventure await them just on the other side of an old stone wall.

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Upcoming: MAKING HISTORY by K. J. Parker (TorDotCom)

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TorDotCom recently unveiled the cover for K. J. Parker‘s next novella, Making History. If you’ve been reading CR for even a little while, you’ve probably noticed that I am a big fan of Parker’s work; and especially his novellas and short stories (many of the former have been published by TorDotCom). That it is written by Parker is enough for me to want to read it, but the synopsis only increased my interest:

History isn’t truth… it’s propaganda.

Academics can be cocky. Atop their perches of authority high above the unquestioning world they can begin to fancy themselves gods. It is rare this authority is ever tested. But a command from an idiotic, power-hungry king — that’ll do it.

Our narrator is one of a dozen professors at the University of the Kingdom of Aelia. Early one morning, he and his colleagues are rounded up for an audience with their dictator, Gyges. You see, Gyges is new to the job — he only just invaded Aelia last year — and like any good tyrant, he’s looking to expand his empire. But his public image can’t take the hit of (another) unjustified assault. No problem, he’s come up with a plan — the scholars will simply construct an ancient city from scratch that justifies his next invasion.

Now these bookworms must put their heads together to do the impossible. They must make history. Because if they don’t, they’ll lose their heads all together.

Definitely one of my top 10 most-anticipated books of 2025, K. J. Parker’s Making History is due to be published by TorDotCom on September 2nd, in North America and in the UK.

Also on CR: Reviews of The Devil You Know, The Last Witness, Downfall of the Gods, My Beautiful Life, Prosper’s Demon, Academic Exercises, The Big Score, The Long Game, and Pulling the Wings Off Angels

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Excerpt: THE APOCALYPSE ARK by Peter Darbyshire (Poplar Press)

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DarbyshireP-BoC3-ApocalypseArkThe Apocalypse Ark is the third novel in Peter Darbyshire‘s Book of Cross series, and today we have an excerpt from the book. We’ve already shared excerpts from the first two books in the series — The Mona Lisa Sacrifice and The Dead Hamlets. The three novels are out now, published by Poplar Press. Here’s the synopsis for the third book:

“You fool,” Sariel said. She gestured with a hand and the table between us slid to the side. “You ridiculous mortal fool. What did you do with the sphinx?”

With these words Cross finds himself thrust into his most dangerous adventure yet, working with the double-crossing angel Sariel to stop Noah from ending his eternal suffering by ending the world. But this Noah has not saved any beings from the flood, he is God’s warden, and he is bound to hold all God’s mistakes captive on his ark for eternity. And he has gone mad. Between provoking the sorcerous pirate Blackbeard, dealing with the devious vampire Ishmael and travelling beneath the seas with Captain Nemo and the last of the Atlanteans, Cross struggles to keep one step ahead of Noah until the last battle occurs before the very doors of Atlantis itself.

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Excerpt: BOOK OF ATRIX WOLFE by Patricia A. McKillip (Tachyon)

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McKillipPA-BookOfAtrixWolfe_30thNext month, Tachyon Publications are due to release a 30th anniversary special edition of The Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia A. McKillip. To celebrate the release (on February 25th) and this milestone, the publisher has provided CR with an excerpt to share. Here’s the synopsis:

This brand new edition celebrates the 30th anniversary of a classic, luminous novel from the World Fantasy Award-winning author Patricia A. McKillip (The Forgotten Beasts of Eld). In McKillip’s stunning cinematic prose, the human world and the realm of faeries dangerously entwine through chaotic magic. Discover the spellbinding legend of generational atonement and redemption between a reluctant mage, a powerful wizard, a struggling heir, fae royalty, and a mysterious scullery maid.

 When the White Wolf descends upon the battlefield, the results are disastrous. His fateful decision to end a war with powerful magic changes the destiny of four kingdoms: warlike Kardeth, resilient Pelucir, idyllic Chaumenard, and the mysterious Elven realm.

Twenty years later, Prince Talis, orphaned heir to Pelucir, is meant to be the savior of the realm. However, the prince is neither interested in ruling nor a particularly skilled mage. Further, he is obsessed with a corrupted spellbook, and he is haunted by visions from the woods.

The legendary mage Atrix Wolfe has forsaken magic and the world of men. But the Queen of the Wood, whose fae lands overlap Pelucir’s bloody battlefield, is calling Wolfe back. Her consort and her daughter have been missing since the siege, and if Wolfe cannot intervene, the Queen will keep a sacrifice for her own.

Continue reading →